Chapter 172: Just Want to See You
Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Just Want to See You
Clearing up rumors isn’t as simple as just posting a statement online.
Xu Li had to coordinate with Xie Yu’s team to make sure their method of clarification would minimize the impact of the whole affair.
After all, the two of them were friends. They couldn’t let something so trivial create a rift between them.
In any case, by the time Nan Zhi finished her chat with Boss Yang and he had driven her home, the official statement still hadn’t been released. Instead, the rumors seemed to be escalating out of control.
Nan Zhi raised a hand to her temple. She had to question the judgment of today’s netizens.
’How on earth could anyone see a hint of romance in her purely platonic relationship with Xie Yu?!’
Fortunately, her meeting with Boss Yang had provided some small comfort.
Although they hadn’t reached an agreement on further collaboration, the dividends Nan Zhi earned from the fried rice were already quite substantial—even more than she had anticipated!
Thinking about her handsome bank balance, Nan Zhi was in a pretty good mood.
Even as she got out of the car and said goodbye to Boss Yang, the smile never left her face.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a Bentley parked on the side of the road—
A familiar license plate.
The familiar man emerging from within.
Nan Zhi knew he was here for her. With one hand in her pocket, she thought cheerfully:
’If this guy is really here to confront me about the rumors, I’m in a good enough mood to let him get a few words in before I flip out and chew him out.’
In the blink of an eye, Lu Shixu was standing before her.
"I’m back from my business trip,"
he said.
It sounded like a husband dutifully reporting his return to his wife.
Nan Zhi clicked her tongue.
"Uh-huh. And?"
Lu Shixu didn’t respond right away.
Instead, he first glanced at Boss Yang’s car, which hadn’t left yet.
Nan Zhi followed his gaze.
Through the car window, she could see Boss Yang craning his neck, peering out at them.
He was probably wondering about her relationship with Lu Shixu and hesitating over whether he should come over and help.
Nan Zhi gave him a wave, signaling for him to go on ahead.
Then, she folded her arms with great interest, curious to see how Lu Shixu would react next.
Lu Shixu’s jaw tightened slightly, as if he were holding something back.
Nan Zhi, who knew him well, recognized it as a sign that he was suppressing an intense emotion.
’Any second now, he’s going to start with some tactless questions...’
"Is that a friend of yours? Should I go say hello?"
Lu Shixu’s turbulent emotions instantly vanished.
He not only seemed calm, but he also appeared to be making a... friendly overture toward Boss Yang?
’Huh?’
’Was she seeing things?’
Nan Zhi briefly wondered if she was still asleep. Otherwise, why did she keep running into such strange situations today?
Perhaps Nan Zhi’s look of astonished assessment was too obvious.
Lu Shixu averted his gaze, looking uncomfortable, and held out the box in his hands.
"It’s a gift for you from my trip."
Nan Zhi was baffled.
She looked down and only then noticed that Lu Shixu had been holding a wooden box the entire time.
’Oh, "wooden box" doesn’t do it justice.’
In the Otherworld, Nan Zhi had seen the imperial treasury, which held the wealth of the four seas and countless rare treasures.
So it wasn’t hard for her to recognize that the box was made of huanghuali rosewood.
’A treasure worth at least six figures is being used as a mere container?’
’Without a doubt, the item inside must be even more valuable.’
Nan Zhi had no intention of accepting it and refused outright.
"I don’t want it."
Lu Shixu, however, seemed to have expected her answer.
He said with an air of certainty,
"Why don’t you open it and see what’s inside first?"
Nan Zhi shot him a look.
In the end, unable to contain her curiosity, she lifted a corner of the lid...
"Huh? A book?"
"It’s an ancient text from the Ming Dynasty,"
Lu Shixu added at the perfect moment.
When Nan Zhi saw the title on the yellowed cover, she realized it wasn’t just any ancient text.
It was a cookbook.
To be precise, it was a collection of essays by a Ming Dynasty scholar, chronicling the various foods he encountered on his travels.
It was somewhat similar to the *Suiyuan Food List*, but not nearly as famous.
As it happened, Nan Zhi had read a reprinted version of this book that circulated in later eras, but the pages were fragmented and incomplete. Reading it in bits and pieces had always been a source of regret for her.
Who would have thought she’d encounter it again, here of all places, in Lu Shixu’s hands!
Judging by the condition of the text and Lu Shixu’s demeanor, this had to be the original, handwritten by the author himself!
Nan Zhi’s fingertips trembled involuntarily.
She was tempted.
Lu Shixu’s gift had truly hit the mark. It made Nan Zhi eager, her curiosity piqued by all the parts she had yet to read.
If she hadn’t kept the fact that she’d read this book a secret from everyone, Nan Zhi would have almost thought Lu Shixu was doing this on purpose!
"I..."
Nan Zhi hesitated for a few seconds before finally shaking her head.
"No, thank you. It’s too valuable."
She forced herself to close the lid, deciding it was best to follow the principle of "out of sight, out of mind."
But Lu Shixu insisted.
"It’s not that expensive. All that matters is that you like it."
Nan Zhi thought for a moment, then did a quick search on her phone.
It was true. A manuscript from a little-known scholar, even an original from the Ming Dynasty, wouldn’t be excessively expensive.
At most, it would be slightly more expensive than similar items due to being well-preserved and in excellent condition.
But all in all, it was within a price range she could afford.
Nan Zhi really couldn’t bear to pass up such a treasure, so she came up with a compromise.
"How about this: you name a price, and I’ll buy it from you."
Naturally, Lu Shixu didn’t want to agree.
But Nan Zhi had already made a concession. He knew if he pushed any further, she would drop the idea of buying it altogether.
He considered it for a few seconds, then named a price.
"...One thousand."
"Do you take me for an idiot?"
Nan Zhi stared at him, her face devoid of expression.
Lu Shixu fell silent.
He wasn’t exactly an easygoing person.
But in front of Nan Zhi, all his pride and arrogance seemed to melt away.
Finally, he obediently named a new number.
After confirming on her phone that Lu Shixu’s new price was consistent with the market rate, Nan Zhi asked for his account number and transferred the money.
When Lu Shixu handed the box over, she shook her head.
"I don’t need the box. It’s too valuable."
She then took only the soft cloth that lined the inside of the box, carefully wrapped the book in it, and held it in her hands.
Lu Shixu didn’t insist. He was just glad she accepted the gift.
The price he’d quoted wasn’t far from the actual price.
It was cheaper, of course, but not by much.
Lu Shixu hadn’t actually spent much money on the book itself.
The real difficulty was learning of Mr. Huang’s passing before anyone else did.
The resources required for that were on another level entirely.
Nan Zhi had a vague idea of what that entailed.
That was why she didn’t immediately give him the cold shoulder and send him away.
Instead, her attitude softened, and feeling rather pleasant, she asked,
"You just got back from a long business trip. Don’t you need to go home and get some rest?"
Lu Shixu slowly shook his head.
"I just wanted to see you."
Nan Zhi froze.
A spring breeze rustled past, making the flowering branches tremble.
Nan Zhi vaguely recalled that the Lu Shixu of the past had said those exact same words to her before.